Design Middle Easthttp://www.designmena.com
Architecture, interiors & industrial designTue, 03 Mar 2015 07:51:50 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.7.5Awards go to students for Sharjah Light Festival photographyhttp://www.designmena.com/thoughts/awards-go-to-students-for-sharjah-light-festival-photography
http://www.designmena.com/thoughts/awards-go-to-students-for-sharjah-light-festival-photography#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 07:51:50 +0000http://www.designmena.com/?p=35681Two engineering students at American University of Sharjah won awards at the recent Light Festival in the emirate in a photography competition organised by Sharjah Tourism Authority.

Nasser Ali got the second place in the photography section while Mostafa Ajjawi won the prize in the video section.

The event saw 14 buildings across the emirate decorated with lights.

]]>http://www.designmena.com/thoughts/awards-go-to-students-for-sharjah-light-festival-photography/feed0Egypt plans new pyramidhttp://www.designmena.com/thoughts/egypt-plans-new-pyramid
http://www.designmena.com/thoughts/egypt-plans-new-pyramid#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 04:11:46 +0000http://www.designmena.com/?p=35678Plans for a Cairo skyscraper modelled on Egypt’s most famous historic monuments have been put forward by the country’s government

The 200 -metre high-rise is designed to resemble the ancient pyramids and is proposed for the Sheikh Zayed City development.

Zayed Crystal Spark would be a 49-storey building composed of two pyramids – one tall and slim, and the other broad and short and would become the country’s tallest building, surpassing the 143-metre-high Ministry of Foreign Affairs by over 50 metres.

The name of the architect involved and the cost of the project have not yet been revealed, but Moustafa Madbouly, Egypt’s minister of housing, said it would be built through a partnership between real estate developers and the government’s New Urban Communities Authority..

The government will formally present the project at an economic development conference later this month – an event being held to boost investment for the country’s economy.

“It is an administrative, commercial and entertainment project as it includes buildings for various purposes, in addition to the unique 200-metre tower,” Madboly told local media.

The structure will also be surrounded by water features and greenery on a 190-hectare site overlooking the July 26 road, about 30 minutes drive from the historic pyramids of Giza. It will be taller than the 138-metre-high Great Pyramid – the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one still in existence.

]]>http://www.designmena.com/thoughts/egypt-plans-new-pyramid/feed0Gated community Al Zahia is a first for Sharjahhttp://www.designmena.com/thoughts/gated-community-al-zahia-is-a-first-for-sharjah
http://www.designmena.com/thoughts/gated-community-al-zahia-is-a-first-for-sharjah#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 09:48:58 +0000http://www.designmena.com/?p=35675The first gated community in Sharjah is now open for business.

Initially a concept by Naga Architects, the initial phase of the work on Al Zahia was by UAE-based QHC Architects and Engineers, with Khatib & Alami undertaking stages two and three which are yet to be completed.

Developers Majid Al Futtaim are behind the project which is a collaborative effort with the government of the emirate.

“It’s more than bricks and mortar – it is answering people’s lifestyle needs,” said Bader Hareb, the company’s chief property officer.

“It links people with their surroundings to create the lasting bonds which are the foundation of successful neighbourhoods.”

The mixed-use development includes town houses and villas and will eventually be home to 12,000 residents. It also has retail facilities, parks and a mosque in the masterplan.

So far 51 villas have been completed and 49 purchased – the other two are show homes. The developers say by Q2 of next year a further 277 units will be built. So far 90% of these have been sold.

Hareb said: “We see Al Zahia creating a living community and it will also generate a 10-year large-scale employment benefit for the emirate during its construction phase. It is also stimulating the local economy and its benefit is expected to reach around five billion dirhams [$1.36bn].”

Lee Tabler, executive director for communities at the developer added: “Before starting this project we used consultants to interview families and ask them what it is they wanted in the way of a place to live. Only then did we finalise the development plans and engage the architects.”

]]>http://www.designmena.com/thoughts/gated-community-al-zahia-is-a-first-for-sharjah/feed0Dubai unveils 21 sculptures as part of Expo 2020 awareness campaignhttp://www.designmena.com/thoughts/dubai-unveils-21-sculptures-as-part-of-expo-2020-awareness-campaign
http://www.designmena.com/thoughts/dubai-unveils-21-sculptures-as-part-of-expo-2020-awareness-campaign#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 07:29:35 +0000http://www.designmena.com/?p=35671A series of sculptures will be erected around the UAE this week as part of a public awareness campaign for Expo 2020 Dubai, entitled ‘For Everyone’.

A total of 21 sculptures, designed by leading global, regional and local talent, will be unveiled across prominent UAE locations this week.

The sculptures have been conceptualised to express the three themes of Expo 2020 Dubai through the medium of art – mobility, opportunity and sustainability.

Each theme has seven sub-themes, making 21 sculptures in total.

A series of sculptures will be erected around the UAE this week as part of a public awareness campaign for Expo 2020 Dubai, entitled ‘For Everyone’.

A total of 21 sculptures, designed by leading global, regional and local talent, will be unveiled across prominent UAE locations this week.

The sculptures have been conceptualised to express the three themes of Expo 2020 Dubai through the medium of art – mobility, opportunity and sustainability.

Each theme has seven sub-themes, making 21 sculptures in total.

Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State and director general of the Expo 2020′s bureau (pictured below), said the event’s organisers have been mapping out a plan for the years leading up to the 2020 event.

“Over the past year our team has spent the past year setting robust foundations for the five-year journey that we have ahead of us,” she said.

“We are putting our best effort to deliver an event that is worthy of the history of World of Expos and do justice to the 50th anniversary of the UAE,” she added.

Above: Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State and director general of the Expo 2020′s bureau.

Below: Some of the locations for the 21 sculptures.

Al Hashimy said the ‘For Everyone’ campaign is about creating awareness across the country.

“It’s a UAE-wide, multi-phase engagement programme that will create great awareness about our Expo 2020 and give people from the across the country the opportunity to shape how the Expo will be for them,” she said, speaking at the media launch on Saturday.

The 21 towering sculptures, which are three to six metres in height, will have an interactive screen allowing visitors to discover more about the artwork, the artists, Expo 2020 themes and the impact of Expos on the world.

Expo 2020 Dubai will also launch a travelling roadshow on April 10, which will travel around the UAE.

“On April 10, which is 2,020 days prior to the opening of Expo 2020, we will introduce travelling experience roadshows that visit the emirates for a number of weeks. These roadshows will take visitors on a journey through the history of World Expos, stretching back to the first edition in 1851,” Al Hashimy explained.

She said they also plan to launch a new logo for Expo 2020 Dubai, which she said will include the ideas and thoughts of Emiratis.

“Later this month we will launch a competition for the UAE and Emirati budding designers and artists to create the new logo for Expo 2020 Dubai. We wanted to give people across the country a chance to truly make a mark on Expo 2020 and to be able to express every ting the Expo 2020 embodies,” she said.

The change in logo is part of the tradition of hosting the Expo, according to Al Hashimy, who said it will reflect the people of the UAE and its ideas.

“This logo is highly important for all of us, but during the preparation and designing stage, we did not really involve many people in this process. It’s an accustomed tradition that for these well-established and mega events to change the logo from the voting stage to the implementation stage. “That’s why we wanted the people of the UAE to leave their own mark and impact on this logo and to allow them to participate with us their ideas and concepts. I am confident that with the contribution of that it will be much better than the current logo,” said Al Hashimy.

]]>http://www.designmena.com/thoughts/dubai-unveils-21-sculptures-as-part-of-expo-2020-awareness-campaign/feed0RAK launches man-made party island to ‘rival Ibiza’http://www.designmena.com/thoughts/rak-launches-man-made-party-island-to-rival-ibiza
http://www.designmena.com/thoughts/rak-launches-man-made-party-island-to-rival-ibiza#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 07:24:24 +0000http://www.designmena.com/?p=35665A manmade island in Ras Al Khaimah, which is being billed as a “mini Ibiza”, has plans to attract as many as 20,000 partygoers with two ‘mega clubs’, four beach clubs, five hotels and 100 restaurants.

Dream Island, one of four in the $1 billion Al Marjan Island development (pictured above), is being promoted as a venue that will rival one of Europe’s biggest party capitals.

“We’re trying to make it the new Ibiza – a mini Ibiza dedicated solely to partying,” George Saad, sales and marketing director at Al Marjan Island, told the Daily Mail.

“People will be able to come here, stay in the hotel, party at clubs on the beach, anything in the world you can do. And we are trying to attract festivals to come here – like Burning Man,” he added.

Saad was speaking at the Dubai Property Show in London’s Kensington Olympia, where the developers of the third of four islands that make up Al Marjan are looking to attract $4.9 billion of investment.

The 370,000m2 Dream Island, which will not feature any homes, is expected to be completed by 2018.

Located 27km south-west of Ras Al Khaimah city centre, the four islands of Al Marjan stretch nearly three miles out into the sea and cover an area of 2.7 million square metres. The entire development comprises four coral-shaped islands that include a range of marina homes floating villas, hotels, resorts, sports facilities and shopping centres.

Last week, the company behind the development has said January sales have doubled, year-on-year.

]]>http://www.designmena.com/thoughts/rak-launches-man-made-party-island-to-rival-ibiza/feed0Abu Dhabi developer plans new $80bn Egyptian city near Cairohttp://www.designmena.com/thoughts/abu-dhabi-developer-plans-new-80bn-egyptian-city-near-cairo
http://www.designmena.com/thoughts/abu-dhabi-developer-plans-new-80bn-egyptian-city-near-cairo#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 07:18:36 +0000http://www.designmena.com/?p=35662Abu Dhabi-based developer Eagle Hills is reportedly planning to build a new city near Cairo, costing up to $80 billion over a 12-year construction period.

Bloomberg quoted two people with knowledge of the matter as saying the new city will include an airport, hotels, and a mall as well as amenities such as hospitals and schools.

Separately, Ashraf Salman, Egypt’s minister of investment, told Bloomberg TV that the choice of developer has been narrowed down to two companies from the United Arab Emirates, declining to name them.

The project will be formally announced by Egypt’s government at an international investors conference next month, Bloomberg said, adding that the project will be built to the east of Cairo.

Eagle Hills is led by a team of executives who worked at Emaar Properties, including Emaar’s current chairman, Mohamed Alabbar, who is a board member.

Last month, Egypt’s Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb was quoted as saying that Dubai-based Emaar was expected to play a key role in building a new capital city in Egypt.

A spokesman for Eagle Hills declined to comment when contacted by Bloomberg.

]]>http://www.designmena.com/thoughts/abu-dhabi-developer-plans-new-80bn-egyptian-city-near-cairo/feed0Photo essay: The colourful world of modern Istanbul by Yener Torunhttp://www.designmena.com/portfolio/photo-essay-the-colourful-world-of-modern-istanbul-by-yener-torun
http://www.designmena.com/portfolio/photo-essay-the-colourful-world-of-modern-istanbul-by-yener-torun#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 07:15:30 +0000http://www.designmena.com/?p=35623Istanbul-based photographer Yener Torun has created a photography series that introduces the colourful and graphic architecture of the city, away from the more conventional historic views.

Using Instagram to document bold shapes and vibrant hued architecture, Torun hopes to reveal a more contemporary side to Turkey instead of the common perception of opulent mosques and old streets.

“I want to show what people usually do not see. Maybe because of that, even long-term residents cannot believe that most of my pictures have been taken in Istanbul. They offer an escape from the Orientalist perception of the city,” explains Torun.

Check out his photo series here and follow him on Instagram at @cimkedi

]]>http://www.designmena.com/portfolio/photo-essay-the-colourful-world-of-modern-istanbul-by-yener-torun/feed0Tehran mall nears completion with nature-inspired interiors by U+A Architectshttp://www.designmena.com/insight/tehran-mall-nears-completion-with-nature-inspired-interiors-by-ua-architects
http://www.designmena.com/insight/tehran-mall-nears-completion-with-nature-inspired-interiors-by-ua-architects#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 05:21:11 +0000http://www.designmena.com/?p=35601A new shopping centre called Parmis Mall is about to open in Tehran, Iran, with its interior design concept delivered by U+A Architects. According to the design team, the client had purchased a plot of land in one of the more upscale districts of the international city and provided a brief that asked for the building of a class-A shopping mall to attract high-end brands.

“The client also wanted to maximise their sellable area allowed within municipal rule, which meant that the mall would become a multi-story project,” adds Eileen Jaffary, senior interior architect, U+A Architects.

She adds: “The plot is located in one of the oldest and most beautiful streets in Tehran named Vali-Adr Street. This street connects the north of Tehran – the mountain side – to the south of Tehran. The magical part of this street is the beautiful trees that line both sides of the path, and whose colours change throughout the different seasons. They go from orange to green, so the concept for the mall was centred on these trees and the four seasons and their colours.”

The entire mall measures at 16,869m2 and boasts nine floors that are above ground. The total budget for the project was $120,000,000, or AED440,000,000.

Upon entering the shopping centre, visitors are welcomed by fresh pops of green and natural materials. Additionally, the levels just above are all shaped organically following fluid forms that are lit up by architectural lighting. Looking up to admire the design provokes the sense of looking at streams of light left over by shooting stars.

Jaffary explains: “We tried to use a lot of natural stone that is available in Iran. The country has a lot of quarries that provide granite, travertine and limestone. So we proposed limestone and stainless steel for the façade of the building, while at the same time, sandstone and granite for the interior floorings.”

The schematic layout of the shopping mall consists of a central courtyard that leads up to an atrium via a ramp. Circling the atrium and courtyard are horse-shoe shaped levels where the shops are located. The arrangement of the project allows shoppers to circle the many levels in peaceful harmony while they explore the different shops located throughout.

“If you look at the plan and renderings,” says Jaffary, “you will notice that there are continued voids in very organic shapes which [connect] all the floors. In order to attract people and encourage them to visit the entire mall, we placed F&Bs as well as a supermarket on the lower floors, a food court on the second floor with access to the outdoor terrace and a high-end restaurant on the ninth floor which offers an amazing view of the city. We also allowed for other breakout areas on different floors.”

The colour palette consists of the different earthy tones that tint the trees throughout the seasons. These include deep reds, golden yellows, oranges, browns and greens. As for the material palette, while stone was heavily applied throughout, it was given warmth and enhanced by the usage of natural timber.

The food court is an excellent example of the combination of materials and colours used by U+A Architects. Stone and wood come together to create a basis for the burnt-orange chairs and green and grey flooring. Organic shapes form the ceilings, columns and flooring patterns, while large wooden booth seating provides a subtle geometry.
The columns, which are stainless steel, are delicately lit at their access points with the ceiling, which offers a soft glow to the space.

The use of coloured glass with tree and leaf prints fully brings the tree-inspired concept to life. These glass panels are used throughout the shopping mall including the lift lobbies and the bathrooms, with each boasting different colours.

The bathrooms display soft autumn colours like golden yellows and deep browns, while giant glass panels with leafless trees decorate the wall by the sinks. Tile work above the mirrors ties in pearly hues and adds some softness to the overall bathroom design.

Wrapping around the mall are outdoor terraces that continue the colour scheme found inside, while the steel columns continue to add height and balance. Timber panels are vertically aligned along the ceiling’s path allowing glimmers of light to shine through while also providing shade on sunnier days. Geometric patterns in the flooring add subtle detailing and embellishment to the otherwise contemporary and modern design. Paths of architectural lighting intercept the ceiling and flooring designs adding elements of unpredictability.

“We designed the mall with international standards but localised the planning. The architectural planning of the mall works very well with the structure despite the fact that we have organic shapes for openings and different uses of [the levels] from the basement parking to the top restaurant,” explains Jaffary.

Jaffary faced a number of challenges throughout the project including the general difference between retail design in Iran to other parts of the Middle East.

She says: “There is a huge difference between retail design in Iran in comparison with other cities in the GCC including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha. The ownership of shops and retail areas are under the buyers, which means that if the shop or retail size is more than 50m2, it will be very hard to sell the space because of the price.

So you end up having more shops and retail units, which means more circulations and [perhaps] less efficiency.
“We worked a lot on the interior space arrangement to keep the mall efficient while attractive with no dead-end.”

Other challenges that the design team faced includes the site accessibility and plot shape, the large number of floors and the demand to bring in natural light to all the above-ground floors. However Jaffary insists that the “client team were very responsive to all our ideas and they respected the design we proposed.”

]]>http://www.designmena.com/insight/tehran-mall-nears-completion-with-nature-inspired-interiors-by-ua-architects/feed0Three dimensional art on show at The Beach in Dubaihttp://www.designmena.com/thoughts/three-dimensional-art-on-show-at-the-beach-in-dubai
http://www.designmena.com/thoughts/three-dimensional-art-on-show-at-the-beach-in-dubai#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 04:43:50 +0000http://www.designmena.com/?p=35616The Dubai Canvas Festival is now in full flow with the focus being on three dimensional art at The Beach

The event opened yesterday (Sunday) and runs until Saturday and it is part of a plan to make the city an “open air museum”.

Director General of the Government of Dubai Media Office Mona Al Marri. said: “The actual value of originality is subject to public’s appreciation. Through Brand Dubai, we are trying to introduce different forms of art to people.

“We believe innovation is one of Dubai’s genuine values and has always been integral part of Dubai’s achievements. We are dedicated to translate these values into reality and endorse UAE’s position as home for creativity, innovation and happiness”.

]]>http://www.designmena.com/thoughts/three-dimensional-art-on-show-at-the-beach-in-dubai/feed0Architect draws up Mars city planshttp://www.designmena.com/thoughts/architect-draws-up-mars-city-plans
http://www.designmena.com/thoughts/architect-draws-up-mars-city-plans#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 03:57:20 +0000http://www.designmena.com/?p=35613Plans for a human settlement on the planet Mars have been drawn up by a Turkish architect

Gulay Yedekci has designed a extraterrestrial community which could one day be home to human beings .

The red planet – so-called due to the red iron oxide existing on its surface – has made the headlines recently as NASA scientists and the Dutch-based Mars One foundation revealed plans to send people there for the first time.